Title
Phoenix Bus Rapid Transit Program Planning Support Services - Professional Services Amendment - PT00400001 (Ordinance S-49789)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute an amendment to Agreement 149143 with HDR Engineering, Inc. to provide additional Professional Services for the Phoenix Bus Rapid Transit Program Planning Support Services project. Further request to authorize execution of amendments to the agreement, as necessary within the City Council-approved expenditure authority as provided below, and for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item. The additional fee for services included in this amendment will not exceed $5.5 million.
Report
Summary
The purpose of this project is to develop the initial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street. In 2015, Phoenix voters approved Proposition 104, creating the 35-year street and transit plan known as Transportation 2050 (T2050) which identified BRT as a key component to continue expanding the City's high-capacity transit network. BRT is a high-capacity bus service that focuses on improved speed, reliability, convenience and the overall transit experience. There are common recurring elements found in successful BRT systems, such as: advanced fare collection, enhanced stations, dedicated lanes, custom buses, transit spot improvements and unique branding.
This amendment is necessary because the BRT Program for the approved BRT corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street requires: increased and focused community education, stakeholder outreach and business owner engagement throughout the proposed corridor; conducting meetings to refine corridor alternatives to align priorities and balance amenities, benefits and impacts; continuing coordination with ongoing and correlating projects along the corridor; and preparing efforts for Phase 3 of community and business engagement for the Alternatives Analysis. This amendment will provide additional funds to the agreement.
Contract Term
The term of the agreement remains at six years from issuance of the Notice to Proceed of March 15, 2019. The work scope identified and incorporated into the agreement prior to the end of the term may be agreed to by the parties, and work may extend past the termination of the agreement. No additional changes may be executed after the end of the term.
Financial Impact
- The initial agreement for Professional Services was approved for an amount not to exceed $3 million, including all subconsultant and reimbursable costs.
- This amendment will increase the agreement by an additional $5.5 million, for a new total amount not to exceed $8.5 million, including all subconsultant and reimbursable costs.
Funding for this amendment is available in the Public Transit Department's Transportation 2050 fund. The Budget and Research Department will separately review and approve funding availability prior to the execution of any amendments. Payments may be made up to agreement limits for all rendered agreement services, which may extend past the agreement termination.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Citizen Transportation Commission (CTC) Subcommittee and Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning (TIP) Subcommittee:
- The CTC recommended approval of the award recommendation to the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Subcommittee by a vote of 13-0 on May 31, 2018;
- The Aviation and Transportation Subcommittee recommended approval to enter into agreement with Package A and Package B in support of the BRT program by a vote of 3-0 on Sept. 25, 2018;
- The CTC recommended for approval the initial BRT corridor of 35th Avenue/Van Buren Street by a vote of 10-0 on May 27, 2021;
- The TIP Subcommittee recommended for approval the initial BRT corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street by a vote of 4-0 on Sept. 15, 2021;
- The CTC recommended approval to continue community and stakeholder engagement, alternatives analysis and 15 percent design plans for the initial BRT corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street by a vote of 11-1 on Feb. 24, 2022;
- The CTC recommended approval of additional expenditure of $5.5 million to Package A by a vote of 11-0 on April 27, 2023; and
- The TIP Subcommittee recommended City Council approval to execute an amendment by a vote of 4-0 on May 17, 2023.
The City Council approved:
- Issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit firms to provide services for planning and preliminary engineering for the BRT program based on recommendations from the CTC and T&I Subcommittees. This approval included a stipulation that the planning RFQ included an assessment of the criteria used for the initial identification of the BRT corridors and was made on Oct. 4, 2017;
- Professional Services Agreement 149143 for HDR Engineering, Inc. (Ordinance S-45019) on Oct. 17, 2018;
- The initial BRT corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street by a vote of 9-0 on Oct. 6, 2021; and
- Continuation of community and stakeholder engagement, alternatives analysis and 15 percent design plans for the initial BRT corridor of 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street by a vote of 8-1 on April 20, 2022.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Mario Paniagua and Alan Stephenson, the Public Transit Department and the City Engineer.